Reviews by silver0rlead:

Pours an onyx color with a thin tan head that leaves nice lacing. The aroma is intoxicating, deep and bold arabica coffee notes upfront that is fruity and intense. high quality cacao, molasses, pepper, cherry wood and a wallop of alcohol...really outstanding. The flavor is a letdown from the aroma, with a broad sweetness that kind of smothers the coffee and roasted notes, some cherry and plum notes in the background and an alcohol bite finishes things off. The mouthfeel is rich and smooth. An incredible aroma almost makes up for the cloying sweetness. (557 characters)

More User Reviews:

Poured jet black,I mean no light getting thru this beer,a thin mocha colored head atop that was gone in a flash.Aromas are a little light with chocolate and dark roast coffee sticking out most,a hint of vanilla comes thru as it sits.Lightly carbonated with a full rich feel in the mouth,I think its the beer's best attribute.Chocolate "tootsie roll" flavors mixed with coffee on the palate,sweetish but not overly sweet.The coffee is not nearly as big as alot of the style,most are to overbearing in the coffee department,this may lack some of the coffee punch.In saying that its a pretty good stout,its rich tasting,if not looking. (632 characters)

As far as coffee stouts go, this is a solid brew. Disappointed with the head (none) and carbonation (essentially flat) though. I think tweaking those two things could bump up the eye candy and provide more fun for the palate. (533 characters)

This coffee beer looks interesting appears a pitch black with a mocha tan head forms fine even lacing. Aroma has strong fresh coffee beans oozing out of it...nutty, earth, dark chocolate notes come from the coffee. Flavor is full of coffee from Black Dog Coffee according to the label, it has dark nearly burnt roasts fruity finish earthy tree bark with hints of dark chocolate this is classic ice brewed coffee quality coffee flavor. Creamy coffee chocolate infused notes just work so well a bit of acrid acidity from the dark coffee roasts but overall an impressive feat from such an established large east coast brewer to make a couple small batch extreme coffee infused beers. Creamy mouthfeel medium bodied ale digging it all day, carbonation level just works. Drinkability is all day type of beer well hidden alcohol unbelievable flavor profile I'm glad I enjoy Flying Dog, because this is just kicking their brewery up another notch. (940 characters)

Pours black, with a finger of rich mocha head. This retains with a tight ½ finger, slathering the sides of the glass with spotty lace and gooey brown oils. The aroma is sticky and burnt in the nose, with notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and strong citric hops. There is a touch of assertive warmth along the back.

The taste is bitter and roasty up front, spreading some assertive green citric hops out into the profile. A thick wave of chocolate and toffee flavors swoops in to help balance this before trailing a dry and burnt coffee character into the finish, which hangs with some leftover green bitterness. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied with a thick and chewy creaminess that keeps this flowing easily in the mouth, despite the higher ABV. There is some warmth here though, and while it mostly accentuates all of that roast and bitterness, it never at any point becomes stinging.

This was solid and while it may have come off as more of a coffee-forward American Stout than a straight up example of a Coffee Stout, this still was nicely flavored and very drinkable for the size. After having this back to back with the BA Gonzo, I’d love to see how this would fair in a barrel over some time, as I think that the heft of the profiles and body would be up to the task. (1,318 characters)

T: Similar to the aroma, there are some roasted malts up front followed by a sweet and creamy mix of chocolate and coffee. There is some dark coffee and char bitterness on the finish along with a slight alcohol warmth. It's a bit sweeter than most coffee stouts, but works quite well with the creamy chocolate flavors.

M: Medium-thick body with low carbonation, the beer is creamy at first but has a slightly watery finish.

O: Overall, a pretty good coffee stout. I normally don't like Flying Dog and was a bit worried about this beer, but it has pleasantly surprised me. It's not the best coffee stout out there, but it's still better than most. (831 characters)

Pours a pitch black color with a brown head that disappears all too quickly. Sweet nutty coffee aroma with a solid hit of citrus and raisin. Heavy, rich, sweet chocolate-covered coffee bean flavor. Fairly mild roast, lightly drying, and thick. Not bad, but not as good as I wanted it to be, unfortunately. A bit too heavy-handed all around for my tastes... (356 characters)

S- Smells of coffee grounds and dark chocolate primarily. Some dark malt and dark fruit are present, but pretty overpowered by the coffee/chocolate.

T- Pretty nice and creamy at first, then dances back and forth between flavors of espresso and chocolate. Finishes with a nice creamy coffee aftertaste. I personally don't find it bitter at all. I do get some faint metally flavor.

M- Nice body, but a little thin. The malt character just isn't big enough, and the coffee is a bit overwhelming.

Appearance: Pours a black color with no light coming through at all. There is a half finger of thick and creamy dark tan head that goes away very quickly.

Smell: Not as strong as I would have thought. Sweet and roasty, I'm definitely getting the coffee, but also some dark chocolate and dark fruit notes as well.

Taste: Roasty coffee of course. Not too sweet, and the sweetness that it does have compliment the roast quite nicely. Picking up some dark chocolate. The finish is roasty/bitter with some warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick body, the beer is a bit sticky completely coats the mouth. Mild, smooth, tingly carbonation with a slick finish.

Overall: Admittedly, I love my coffee stouts. This is another good one from Flying dog. I enjoyed the first version of this beer, and version 2 didn't disappoint me at all. (885 characters)

Taste - The taste on this truly surprised me. It was kind of a zangy wild stout. It seemed very chocaltely and not very coffee-like. The coffee flavor comes in the aftertaste. The slight tart is what makes this 'wild'.

Mouthfeel - A medium bodied stout that brings out the ethanol in itself. A sweet bitter bite that I'm beginning to think is purely alcohol rather than a flavor.

Drinkability - Average. Good to sip rather than guzzle down.

Verdict - I honestly wasn't expecting to like this beer. But it's wild tang really surprised me. I would definitely get it again. (758 characters)

During my birthday I was checking out when I noticed this new beer from Flying Dog. Seeing as how I love most of their beers (Tire bite excluded) I picked it up for the great price of 2.49. Very sweet price for almost 9 percent!

A - Well is definitely has tones of an imperial. Thick dark slug of a beer with a deep dark mocha head. I could almost hear the thickness as it went into my glass!

S - I could smell heavy chocolate and booze from the bottle but it smells awesome in the glass with a heavy bit of roasted coffee goodness.

T - The body is excellent but I am not getting as much coffee as I hoped. The roast factor is also set at medium which I do find present just less than expected for a beer that shouts "coffee stout" For an imperial stout though it drinks great with little hop bitterness, mild roast, bit of bittersweet chocolate and a bit of coffee finish. It's crazy I love it but not "in love" with it.

M - Spot on with the mouthfeel. Drinks with a nice thick body with lingering flavor and awesome drinkability.

Overall it kind of drinks like old founders Breakfast Stout is drinking right now. Mild coffee tones, balanced chocolate and a touch of roast at the end. Conflicted since this beer is just as good but fresh. Still a very enjoyable beer and I could see throwing down 10 dollars a four pack.

Side note: this beer is .5 percent more ABV so kudos for delivering the same Founders experience but with a more "extreme" ABV. One of the best flying dog beers in my opinion. (1,504 characters)

This is a very dark stout, bordering on the darkness of old rasputin or any other imperial stout. One disconcerting trait of this stout is how quickly the head dissipates. Overall the appearance is good.

The smell is coffee, caramel and toffee. Almost smells like a just opened Skor bar, a chocolate covered toffee bar for those who don't know. A little bit of toasty on the backside, kind of reminds me of a coffee of Sumatra, with a little bit of earthiness.

Although I had to resist the temptation to add half and half about half way through, this is a decent stout, though not my favorite as at times the coffee seems to draw the spotlight from some of the better qualities of the stout. It's not difficult to drink, however I can think of stouts which I enjoy more. (772 characters)

Appearance - Probably the best looking beers I've seen in a glass. Black as night with the richest brown frothy head I've seen on an Imperial Stout. Not sure if this is because it is so fresh and local or just that good.

Smell - Pleasant blend of malts, chocolate and hint of expresso

Taste - Great balance and very well done. Not the most complex flavors I've had from an Imperial Stout though. Slight booziness but from the Flying Dog Imperial Porter/Stouts I've sampled thus far (Gonzo Porter and the Whiskey Barrel aged upgrade) this Coffee Stout (Batch 2) is the best yet.

Mouthfeel - As expected, thick, rich and creamy.

Overall - Personally, I think Flying Dog should just drop the "coffee" from the title and just make this their flagship Imperial Stout and retire the others. They struck gold with this "Batch 2" attempt. It is quite pricey though, so if they could find some efficiencies in production costs I think it would really take off. Fans of RIS's or the breakfast stouts...I highly recommend sampling and go in with open mind and don't think of it as a gimmicky Coffee infused concoction like advertised. Its just a great flavored Imperial Stout in my book. (1,180 characters)

Pours a deep amber to brown-ish in color, with a tan head. In the aroma, coffee, roasted malts, and a small alcohol hint. In the taste, sweet coffee, roasted malts, a small alcohol hint and a bit creamy even. A smooth and medium to bigger bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry coffee and cream like aftertaste. Nice big coffee, with a hint of sweetness, very enjoyable. (365 characters)

Vintage 2010. 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass. Pours a black body that lets some light through. Quick fading mocha head with a thin edging. Moderate lacing. Smells ashy and smokey. A bit of chocolate and a weird coffee aroma, not really pleasant. Taste is the same. Faded coffee beans, chocolate, a bit of ash and then the unmistakable taste of an oxidized stout. Its not that bad and it is drinkable....but I just can't help but wonder what this must have been like fresh. Way over the hill at this point. (506 characters)

Grabbed a bottle of this at Total Wine in VA, surprised to see it was pretty rare.

I love the deep dark, pitch black color, but where this beer lacks is in the head department. Head pours brown, but disappears in moments, a big disappointment. Nose is strong, heavy in alcohol - more like a big imperial stout than a coffee stout. No discernible coffee in there, but still a great nose for a stout.

Taste is heavy in alcohol, but some great stout characteristics. Taste has a little bit of a coffee characteristic, but really is full of a soda-like sweetness. Oil-like texture, and little carbonation, makes this beer lack in the mouthfeel department. (653 characters)